The Red Mouth
The Red Mouth, or ("Chimamire no Kuchi"; Literally meaning "Bloodstained Mouth") is an infectious disease most commonly found in the ruling branch of the Hyuuga clan, though, very rarely, it can be found outside of the Clan. Three such non-Hyuuga victims include Sasuun Masodo, Kagesame Hoshigaki, and Kyosuke Misuhi. Sasuun died quickly, the disease fueled by injuries sustained in his battle with Umeha Hyuuga. Kagesame supposedly died in the battle with the Genin Shogun Akira. Kyosuke showed symptoms of the disease during the epidemic of the Hyuuga clan in the aftermath of Noai's/Raven's invasion. He was cured after being killed briefly by Asibou Kaosu, though the permanent affects of the disease may have weakened him enough that he eventually died shortly after defeating Noai. During the Attack of Amegakure, Sasuun's father, Gosada, offered an alternative cure to Kyosuke with a severe payment. His solution would involve using the Boushi Sankyu to permanently blind Kyosuke, which in turn makes Kyosuke forever lose his Kekkei Genkai in order to fully cure himself of the disease. Kyosuke turned down the offer to cure him, instead keeping his doujutsu, knowing he would need it to face Noai. History of the Red Mouth It can be assumed that the Red Mouth has existed since the birth of the Hyuuga clan. However, there has been a revival of the disease since the epidemic that killed three-fourths of the Hyuuga clan at the end of the Fifth Hokage's reign. Since then, the Hyuuga clan has mostly died out. The only known survivors of the Hyuuga clan are Tetsumaru Hyuuga, to a certain degree Saya Kirioa, though she doesn't seem to have the Byakugan due to her eye color, Marus Hyuuga, and Irea Hyuuga. Epidemiology The Red Mouth is fatal in 99.9% of all cases. Only one survivor has been recorded, and her name is Umeha Hyuuga, though they were left frail for the rest of their lives. The disease is very contagious and is spread through droplet inhalation, exposure to blood and bodily fluids, contact with Red Mouth victims' corpses, and from mother to child during pregnancy or birth. Survivors, though usually outwardly not suffering from the disease, can transmit the infection by blood transfusion. It was revealed that Kyosuke Misuhi is now the second survivor of the disease, having been cured briefly by none other than the tears of Umeha Hyuuga. When that cure was proven to be just something that would put the illness in remission, he was later cured for good by Asibou Kaosu killing him. : Symptoms and Course of Infection Early symptoms of the Red Mouth are not much different from a flu or any other type of lung infection. Usually the first symptom is a dry cough that continually gets worse over time. The sufferer then slowly develops fatigue, sore muscles and joints, and a general feeling of malaise. These symptoms can last for years until the body is worn down enough that it can't stop the infection from progressing. As the disease continues and as a harbinger to the second phase of infection, a low, wasting fever and weight loss may occur. The weight loss quickly eats away at muscle and whatever fat reserves there are, sometimes leaving victims as little more than a walking skeleton. This may also be fatal in and of itself, as the victim may become so weak and their muscles could be eaten away so far that they lack the strength to breathe or swallow. As the disease progresses, the fever steadily climbs higher and higher and the victim begins to cough up arterial blood. Massive amounts of blood is lost in this way, usually killing victims before advanced infection occurs. After time, the skin begins to blacken. The blackened skin is dry and brittle, causing spontaneous wounds to appear where the skin becomes driest. These wounds open like crevasses and don't bleed. At the final stage, more bleeding occurs within the abdominal and chest cavities, bleeding from the eyes and pores occurs, and the lungs collapse, causing slow death by either massive blood loss or drowning in the blood pooled in and around the lungs. The Great Pestilence Resurfaces The Red Mouth recently resurfaced, killing everyone in the Hyuuga reservation at the time of mass infection. There were no survivors. Umeha, Marus, and Irea Hyuuga are supposedly the only full-blooded Hyuuga descendants still in existence. Kyosuke Misuhi was infected with the disease as well. Trivia *The Red Mouth is based mostly on the real disease called tuberculosis. However, it also has traits of flat hemorrhagic smallpox (the blackening and shearing off of the skin) and Ebola Zaire (the excessive bleeding and hemorrhage from the eyes and pores). The creator of this disease developed this infection from known information about myobacterium tuberculosis and from reading both The Hot Zone ''and ''The Demon in the Freezer, both by Richard Preston. *There may be different strains of the infection, but it isn't directly stated in the roleplay. This means that there may be more virulent strains that kill within hours rather than days, months, or years, such as the one that killed almost the entirety of the Hyuuga clan in a single day. This also suggests that other organ systems may be affected and it isn't restricted to the lungs and skin. *All Hyuuga are genetically inclined to contract the disease. They are about a thousand times more likely to become ill than a non-Hyuuga exposed at the same time, to the same degree, and over the period of the same time. It's not clear why this is. :